Whitespace has a nice discussion going on about what makes a good leader. You'll have to read the comments but there is a wealth of good advice and observation, like this comment:

Clarity is key. Clarity is the key component, because you need to have clarity in your communication to the people you lead, and to the people you serve, you need to have clarity of mission, purpose and passion so people want to follow you, and you need clarity of purpose to wade through all the information that will come your way to find the truth, or at least the most relevant information.